Looking for the Missing Piece
by Rebecca J. McKeller
Summary: Jem grew up believing her father to be a brilliant, yet boring, physics teacher, but when the Atlantis team approaches her to offer her a job, she learns more about her parents than she ever thought possible & finds love in the process. McKeller.
1. Chapter 1: Rodney's Heartbreak

He rubbed her pregnant belly; a smile crossing both of their faces. She put her hand to his face and softly kissed him. She quickly fell asleep in his arms, soundly dreaming of their baby's future - of their futures.

Less than a day passed before their baby was born – a beautiful little girl – but there was a problem: neither the child nor its mother was breathing. The nurse took the girl and, with Rodney's help, miraculously brought her to life. The cry of the newborn rang strong throughout the infirmary of Atlantis.

"We have to bring her to Jennifer!" he exclaimed. "She's so beautiful! She looks intelligent too, I tell you, this one's got my brains."

The doctor, Carson Beckett, did his best, but Jennifer Keller would never see her baby. Her skin was already turning a pale shade of grey where once a light pink resided.

"I'm so sorry, Rodney. I did what I could," Carson choked out with a solemn tone.

Rodney ran over to his wife and laid his head on her chest, but he felt nothing. His eyes grew larger as he felt his stomach twist into a knot and his throat start to close.

"No," he whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. "Jennifer! No!" he shouted now, pounding his fist against her bed.

He held her hand to his face and stroked her messy blond hair. "Jennifer..." he whispered, trailing off.

***

The years passed and the questions arose: "Who was she, daddy? Was Mom pretty? Dad, what was she like?"

He never knew exactly how to answer, at least not without getting too emotional, and he didn't like his daughter to see him like that. Instead, he would usually just stutter a short reply that would satisfy her for the moment and shrink away into his room to mourn in silence.

It was harder some times more than others. He loved his baby girl, but sometimes to look at her broke his heart. She looked just like her mother; long blonde hair and sparkly hazel eyes. She was also just as caring, with such a strong desire to help people. Rodney expected from the time he found her taking the blood pressure of her doll and curing all of her Barbies' diseases when she was only three that she would follow in her mother's footsteps as a doctor.

It got a little easier with time, but still only rarely would a day pass when his daughter's smile wouldn't cause him to have to choke back tears. He couldn't help but wonder what life would be like if his wife were still alive. She would have been so proud of their little girl.

It broke his heart to think of how Jennifer would never see her daughter's beauty or her kindness or the straight-A progress report she brought home at every reporting period. He hated how she missed their daughter skipping four grades and her graduation from high school at the age of only thirteen, and her MD at twenty-three.

He hadn't been to Atlantis since he lost her. He didn't mention it to his little girl even once that he'd ever stepped on a land outside of North America, let alone another galaxy entirely. To her, traveling to Toronto was an adventure. She'd never think to imagine leaving the Milky Way.

He cut off all contact from all of his former teammates. He didn't want to speak to anyone who knew Jennifer, for fear he'd have to outwardly face her death. It was bad enough that the image of her lifeless figure would remain forever burned into his memory, but to have to relive it, that was just too much. So he'd started a new life with his baby and never spoke of his late wife.

He'd gotten himself a job as a high school physics teacher, a job which he knew he was over-qualified for, but for once, his ego had not gotten the better of him. He spent his life after Jennifer just going through the motions. Without her, it seemed nothing was worthwhile.

The years passed by in a blur for Rodney McKay, too quickly and too slowly at the same time. He never moved on after the death of Jennifer Keller. He tried to date a few times, but he couldn't do it. She meant too much to him. His loved for her ran too deeply through his veins.


	2. Chapter 2: The Opportunity

She'd been a doctor for years, but at the age of twenty-eight, Jennifer Elizabeth McKay still loved her job. Many of the other doctors she'd worked with had become jaded and bitter, but not her. She'd always had a passion for helping people.

She smiled as she walked down the halls of the secure government building. She wasn't entirely sure what she was doing there, but she couldn't help her optimism. She was led by an older man whose name she did not know, despite having heard him say it only ten minutes before. She stifled a laugh as his toupee started to droop to the left.

He led her down narrow hallway after narrow hallway, each one looking exactly like the previous. She was beginning to think maybe they were just going around in circles when finally they reached a large room. Everyone in the room looked about the same age as the man who had brought her there. On the far left, there was a dark-haired lady who was introduced herself as Teyla. Beside her was a man with graying hair who called himself John and beside him an incredibly large man with white-speckled dreadlocks who grunted out the name Ronan in a deep, weary voice. There were a few others in the room who did not bother introducing themselves.

She felt somewhat unnerved by the way the three of them were looking at her – curious, yet sympathetic. For the first time, she wondered if maybe she had done something wrong. She conjured up a vision of being hung for treason, but shook it away as quickly as possible.

"I'm, um, Jennifer McKay," she said, stumbling slightly over her words and smiling nervously. She tucked her hair behind her ears and stood up as straight as possible.

"We know," Teyla replied in a soft voice. She too was smiling, which made Jennifer feel somewhat better.

"Yeah, I guess you would," Jennifer replied.

"You're Doctor Rodney McKay's daughter?" John said quizzically.

"That's right."

Everyone exchanged a look that was hard to describe. It was almost a cross between relief, happiness and skepticism. Jennifer remained silent.

"You're probably wondering why we called you here," John said, turning back toward Jennifer.

"Um, yeah, kind of," she stuttered in response. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Teyla responded. She hesitated for a moment, looking Jennifer right in the eye. "Have you any idea who we are?" she asked, not in a mean way, more curiously.

"Um, am I supposed to?"

They exchanged another look.

"No," John replied. "We just thought you might. We were old friends of your parents."

"Oh," Jennifer replied. "My mom's…uh…" she trailed off.

"We know," Teyla said, looking down at her hands, which were folded in from of her.

"Oh, um, okay."

Ronan snorted and for the first time, Jennifer noticed the weird look he was giving her. She shifted her position for a moment, looking awkwardly from him to the floor. He seemed almost in pain because of her presence and she couldn't figure out exactly why.

Jennifer regained her outward composure, but inwardly she still felt incredibly anxious. "So, uh, if you called me here because of my dad, then might I ask why I had to sign a confidentiality document? Is he in trouble or something?"

"We didn't call you here for Rodney," Ronan grumbled.

"Oh, I just assumed since you said you knew him.." she trailed off.

"Actually, Doctor McKay," Teyla began, "we called you here because of your own merits. We were hoping you would be interested in the position we have to offer you."

"Position? Like, job?"

"For an such a brilliant doctor, she certainly doesn't catch on very quick," one of the nameless men murmured to the guy who sat beside him, who nodded.

Teyla heard them too and she glared at them for a moment before turning back to Jennifer. Rolling her eyes, she said, "We have learned of your immense talent in the medical field, both with patients and with research. It is because of this that we believe you to be the best candidate for the job we have in mind."

Jennifer blushed. "Thank you. What exactly would this job entail?"

Teyla and John looked at each other. John took a heavy breath.

"Well," he started, "you'd be working as a doctor, obviously." He cleared his throat. "The only thing is, uh, well, you'll be working far away from home."

"Well, that's not really a problem, but how far away are we talking? Across the city, across the country or another nation entirely?" Jennifer asked.

"Not exactly," John answered. Jennifer looked at him quizzically. "You'd be working at a top secret location," he paused. "On another planet."

"What?" Jennifer chuckled. "Another planet? What with like Marvin the Martian or something?"

"Actually," Teyla said, "you'd be working in the city of Atlantis."

"Atlantis?" Jennifer stifled her laughter. "As in the lost city?"

"We found it quite awhile ago," John said. "Your father, Teyla and I were among the first to explore the city almost thirty-five years ago."

"Seriously?" Jennifer asked, trying to seem like she didn't think they were all insane. "My dad helped find the lost city of Atlantis, but he never once saw fit to tell me about it?"

"It is likely it was too painful for him," Teyla stated. Ronan rolled his eyes.

"Why?" Jennifer asked, somewhat intrigued now.

"That's where you were born and where he married Dr. Keller, but also where your mother passed away," Teyla explained.

Jennifer fell silent. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or to cry, or if she should even believe them. How was she to know this wasn't a complete hoax? She didn't want to believe their seemingly absurd story, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they were telling her the truth.

"So, just, let me get this straight. My dad and the two of you," she pointed at Teyla and John, "were part of some team that discovered the lost city of Atlantis, then a few years later, I was born there and then my mother died, so my dad returned to Earth to deal with his sorrows in private?" Jennifer asked, basically repeating what they had just told her.

"Yeah, pretty much," Ronan responded.

"Oh." Jennifer blinked. "So now you want me to come work there?"

"Yep," Ronan answered.

"Okay." Jennifer said. Everyone looked at each other and then back at her. "Okay, I'll do it."

"That's it?" John asked. "You don't want to think about it? Talk to your father, maybe?"

"Nope. I want to do it. I want to go to this 'lost city' and find out what it's all about."

"Okay," Teyla smiled.

"Just one question," Jennifer began. "Exactly how far away _is _Atlantis?"


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival

_A whole other galaxy,_ Jennifer thought, _man that's going to be trippy! I haven't even thought much of travelling around my own planet, let alone another one! Maybe I made the wrong choice..._

Jennifer looked at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. She touched up her mascara and brushed her hair once more. She knew being a doctor didn't mean she had to be gorgeous, but it was going to be her first day in Atlantis, and she wanted to make a decent first impression. She went over her list of things once more to make sure she had everything before going outside to the cab she'd called for. With the help of the cab driver, she loaded her things into the trunk and was on her way to Stargate Command.

She was terrified, to say the least. She didn't know anyone there and the whole idea of being in charge of a medical team for an entire city seemed more than a little daunting. The whole thing still seemed so surreal to her.

It had been hard to tell her father where she was going. Since he had previous knowledge of Atlantis, he had been granted clearance to know about her expedition. To say he was unhappy would be an incredible understatement. He started rambling angrily and telling her she didn't know what she was getting herself into. He told her that he brought her back to Earth to keep her safe and this was the last thing he wanted for her. She didn't listen, though. She couldn't pass up this opportunity to learn where she'd come from and perhaps, she could even learn more about her mother. She was never very content with what little information her father had provided her with about her mom.

She stared out the window as she zoomed past everything, trying to take as much of it in as she could. She would really miss this place, no matter how much she wanted to experience new things. This would always be her home. Eventually she had to change vehicles to ride with authorized personnel to the actual location.

When she arrived, a few people were waiting. They'd already explained to her how the Stargate would work – although she was still weary of testing it – and that within seconds, she'd be transported to Atlantis. She would be accompanied by Teyla and Ronan, who were both anxious to get back to their own galaxy. They'd only come to Earth for Jennifer – a sentiment which was not lost on her father, though he still refused to see any of them. He was a very stubborn old man.

Her departure went by in a blur. Soon she was standing next to the circular gate and the wormhole was open. Teyla and Ronan stepped through with no hesitation. Jennifer took a deep breath and walked in a fast as she could, not wanting to consider the consequences of not making it through to the other side.

In no time, her fears were diminished as she stepped into a large open room. Everything looked so different. This 'Ancient technology', as they called it, was beautiful, at least in her mind. It all looked so modern, though she'd been told it had been around for thousands of years. She couldn't help but gasp in awe.

Teyla led her up the stairs to meet the woman who was in charge of the base.

"Go introduce yourself," Teyla whispered in Jennifer's ear.

"Oh, um," Jennifer mumbled as she approached the woman. "Hello," she said. "I'm, uh, Doctor Jennifer McKay, but most people call me Jem."

The woman smiled kindly and replied, "I'm Doctor Grace Truman, Commander of Atlantis, but you can just call me Grace. Nice to meet you." She extended her hand and Jennifer shook it. She was relieved that her boss seemed like a nice person – it took a little bit of the pressure off.

Teyla smiled and said she was going back to her village. Ronan had already disappeared. Jennifer said goodbye to Teyla and tried to take in the new place.

"Would you like a tour of the city?" Grace asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Jennifer replied. "Well, I mean, only if you have enough time. I'm sure you're really busy with being commander and all. I mean, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you or anything, I'm sure I could find things on my own, if it's easier. Not that I wouldn't love a tour or help or anything." Jennifer sighed. "I'm going to shut up now."

Grace laughed. "So Jem, that's an interesting nickname," she said as she led Jennifer around through a nearby hall.

"Well, it's because of my initials, J-E-M," Jennifer said. "Not very interesting when I put it that way, I know. My dad just didn't like to call me Jennifer or Jen or anything because that was my mom's name and she, well, she, uh, passed away just after I was born." She blushed. "Sorry, I'm sure you didn't need to know all that. I have a tendency to ramble. I think I get it from my dad, although he's a bit worse. He won't even finish complete sentences. He'll just stumble from one thought to another, not completing either. Not that he's not an intelligent man, I mean, he's incredibly smart. I didn't know this until recently, but apparently he has done a lot in the world of science. He used to work here, as a matter of fact. I guess he gave that up though. Oh, I'm sorry, I did it again."

"Don't worry about it," Grace chuckled. "Yes, I heard you were the daughter of a former member of the crew here. Quite a valuable member, too, from what I've been told."

"Oh, I don't know much about what he did here."

"You know, you're not the only one whose parents worked here," Grace said.

"Really? You too?"

"No, not myself. One of my crew members."

"Oh yeah?"

"You know Teyla, the one who brought you here?"

"Yes, of course."

"Yeah, her son, Torren, is the head military officer here. You'll be meeting him shortly, I assume."

"Wow, cool," Jennifer said. "It's nice to know I'm not the only one."

Grace showed Jem all around Atlantis, but focused mainly on the main places she would need to know, the infirmary and the mess hall.

"And this will be your quarters," Grace said as they arrived at a new room.

The doors slid open and Jem peered inside. She stepped into the room and noticed someone had already brought in her bags. On the wall was a picture of her parents in a frame. She stared at it in silence for a moment.

"We thought you might like to have that," Grace explained. "We found it in an old storage room and it only seemed right to give it to you."

"Thanks," Jennifer smiled. "I've barely seen any photos of my mother. My dad didn't like to talk much about her."

Grace smiled. "Well I have some work to attend to, so I'll leave you be. You'll be starting tomorrow, so just take it easy tonight and get settled in. Call me if you have any questions."

"Thank you," Jennifer said, still staring at the photo of Jennifer Keller and Rodney McKay. Grace slipped out of the room silently, leaving Jem alone with her thoughts.

"They look so happy," she whispered to herself. "I've never seen Dad this cheerful..." She hung her head; she missed him.


	4. Chapter 4: Introductions

Jem opened the top drawer of her dresser and began to put away her things. Her stomach was still twisted with nerves, and she felt so lonely. All she could do was hope that she'd be more comfortable soon, though she sincerely doubted that would happen.

When she was done, she walked over to the mirror which hung across from her bed and stared into it. She hadn't realized until now just how much she looked like her mother. There were a few differences, of course. Her hair was longer and a little darker, and her eyes were a little bigger, but there wasn't much of a visible distinction. She stared for awhile longer and realizing it made sense now why her father was sometimes sad when he looked at her and wondering why she'd never noticed before. She realized, though, that she probably didn't notice because she'd only really seen pictures of her mom when she was in her father's room, on the rare occasion that she got to visit her grandfather.

Jem was knocked out of her trance when she heard a knock on her door. She shook her head and took a breath. She opened the door to see an unfamiliar man standing there, a big smile across his face.

"Um, hello?" she said.

"Hello," he replied. There was silence as he continued to grin at her.

"Uh," she cleared her throat, "I'm Doctor—"

"Jennifer McKay," he interrupted. "I know."

"Okay," she replied, sceptically. "And you are...?"

"Oh, yes, I am Torren Emmagan," he replied.

"Oh, Torren as in Teyla's son?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes. "I prefer just Torren, but yes, I am Teyla's son. So shall I call you Rodney's daughter, or is Jennifer okay?"

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes at his lame joke. "Most people call me Jem."

"Okay, Jen," he said, still smiling that goofy smile. "Would you like to—"

"Je_m_," she interrupted. "With an m."

"Jem?" he repeated, chuckling little.

"Yes, it's just my initials, it's not that hard," she said, a little irritated by his tone.

"Alright, Jem, it is," he said. "I was about to head down to the mess hall, and seeing as you're new here, I thought you might like to come with me and meet a few people."

Jennifer hesitated. "Alright," she sighed. She'd already forgotten where the mess hall was, and she was getting pretty hungry, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to go with him. Plus, it would probably be good to meet a few people on the base.

She stepped out of the room and the door closed behind her. Torren continued to smile at her and she was getting very unnerved. If he was this weird around everyone, maybe it was best she didn't go with him. Still, he seemed nice enough – he had thought of how hard it would be for her and tried to help out – so she decided to give him a chance. Still, this grinning thing was getting annoying.

"Okay, seriously, what's up with the grinning thing?" she asked.

"What?"

"You've been giving me this goofy grin ever since I opened the door, and I'm getting really creeped out. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," he said. "I mean, I don't know, it's just nice, you know, having someone else."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, not being the only one whose parents were members of the original team. Sometimes it seems like the people here think the only reason I'm in any sort of position of power is because of my mother."

"Oh," Jem replied. "Yeah, I can see how that would get annoying. I didn't even know my dad worked here until about a week ago."

"You mean you were born here and you didn't even know?" he snorted.

"Nope. I had no idea. Well, I mean, how was I supposed to guess that there would be another galaxy that could sustain life, let alone that my parents had been there – that I had been there? It's all so surreal to me."

"Yeah, this must be difficult for you," he said.

"A bit, I mean, wasn't it for you, when you came here?" Jem asked.

"I've lived here my whole life, and on top of that, my mother is originally from the Pegasus Galaxy, so it was all pretty normal to me."

"Lucky," she replied.

"I guess. It was definitely a benefit to just grow up here. Here we are, Je_m_," he said, emphasizing the 'm' in her name for good measure. "Would you like to meet some new people?"

Jem sighed. "I guess I should."

He laughed at her reluctance. "Don't worry, you'll do fine."

They walked over to a table that was almost entirely filled with people. Torren introduced all of them to her and she shook their hands. She wasn't entirely sure she knew everyone's names, but she kept trying to test herself. On the left with the red hair was Emily, beside her was Katherine (Kat), beside her was Robert, beside him was Alexei (Alex), and beside him was Navid. She was never going to remember them all; her memory just wasn't tuned toward names.

Navid, who she soon found out was the head of the physic department, turned to her and asked, "So your father was _the _Doctor Rodney McKay?"

"Uh, yeah," Jem replied.

"Wow," he sighed, astonished. "What's that like? Having him for a father?"

"It's just like having a really crazy physics teacher as your dad. But he was great," she said as she forced a smile.

He started rambling on to her about some discovery her father had made almost thirty years before and how it revolutionized Atlantis, but she didn't really pay attention.

"I'm sorry, I don't know a whole lot about my dad's work here," she replied.

"Oh, well, let me tell you," Navid began, "your father is the most brilliant man in history, aside from the Ancients themselves, perhaps. I'd really love to meet him," he gushed.

Jem chuckled. "Something tells me he'd like you."

"Really?" Navid asked, his eyes wide. "Wow." Jem ignored the dazed smile that came across his face.

Kat and Emily were whispering something to each other and giving Jem weird looks. She got the feeling they didn't like her too much. Alex was picking at his food, but she could see him staring at her over his thick-rimmed glasses. She cleared her throat and turned to Torren.

"So, uh, what do you do around her for fun?" she asked.

"Oh, a few of us go on regular missions to other planets, either to set up bases or to explore. Thirty-five years and we still haven't gotten to every planet," he said. "Not even half, in fact."

"Wow," Jem replied.

"Oh, and we do a lot of sparring. My parents both taught me how to fight when I was little. Ronan and John were helpful with that, too. If you want, I can teach you to spar," he offered.

"I'm a healer, not a fighter," she grimaced. "I've never been good with fighting. Took karate as a kid, but it didn't stick. I ended up just bandaging up all the kids who hurt themselves."

He laughed. "Well, we'll see about that. I'll make a fighter out of you."

"Well, good luck with that," she said, rolling her eyes, unaware of the smile that had made a home on her face.

They chatted for awhile longer as they ate their food. Jem was intrigued by Torren's stories of growing up in Atlantis, and he was equally as interested in her stories of Earth. Slowly, everyone else at the table left, so it was just the two of them.

"Oh wow," Jem said. "It would appear that everyone's left. I feel so alone," she said with mock sadness, wiping a fake tear from her eye.

Torren laughed. "Well I guess we should get back to our quarters," he said. "Seeing as tomorrow is your first day and all, you should probably be awake for it."

"Yeah," she agreed. Jem stood up and put away her tray. They walked out of the mess hall. Jem hesitated for a moment, while Torren kept walking.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"I don't remember how to get back," she admitted. "I guess my memory is only good when it comes to medical stuff."

"How about I walk you back?" he offered.

"Oh, I mean, you don't have to," she said. "I could just...I don't know...walk around for a few hours until I find my way."

"Don't worry about it," he laughed.

"Thanks," she said as they arrived at her door.

"For what?" he asked.

"Being so nice to me, helping me find my way, you know," she said.

"Anytime," he replied. "Goodnight," he said as he turned to walk away. "I'll see you tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5: First Day

Jem's first day as the new head of the medical department went by slowly. There wasn't much for her to do, besides a few stitches and reading. She explored the infirmary for awhile, reading through the notes of former heads of this department, spending the most time on those written by her mother. She couldn't help but wish she knew her parents back when they were on Atlantis, though she was thankful for the opportunity to learn more about Jennifer Keller, since her father was always so closed off about her.

By the time night rolled around, she'd read up on about half of her mother's work, as well as a few various works by others. She was completely in awe of all the things the former heads of medicine had discovered. She sat at the desk, tapping her fingernails on a file folder that sat beside her. Thirty-five years worth of research was a lot to catch up on. She was only trained as a doctor on Earth, how could they possibly think she would be suitable for treating diseases she'd never even heard of?

"Hi." Jem jumped when she heard the voice from behind her. She whipped around to face Torren.

"Oh, hi," she replied, regaining her breath. "What's up? You need some medical assistance?" she asked.

"Nope, just came by to see how you're doing," he answered.

"Thanks, but I think I'm going insane," she replied.

"Oh, why is that?" he asked.

"Well, I have decades worth of research to go through, and I have no idea how much time I have to do it in because what if someone gets one of these illnesses and I haven't gotten that far?" she asked, starting to freak out. "I mean, you know, maybe I'm better just being a second hand, if that makes sense. Someone else, someone who knows this stuff! They should be in charge, not me. I'm not leadership material."

Torren started to laugh.

"This isn't funny!" Jem snapped.

"It kind of is," he replied. "I mean, from what I've heard, you're like a super-genius or something when it comes to medicine."

"I don't know, I was good at it on Earth, but I'm so freaked out now. I've never even heard of most of these diseases. I mean, there's actually one where this weird thing inhabits your brain and makes you regress to being a child!" she exclaimed.

"Jem, just calm down, okay?" Torren said.

"Calm down? I'm in way over my head and I have no idea what I'm doing. I mean, sure, today was okay, but one day someone's going to need me to know what's wrong with them and I can't be spending hours digging through old files trying to find it."

"Okay, first of all, most of these things," he pointed to the files, "were all one-shot kind of deals that were either manufactured or wiped out entirely," he paused and put his hand on her shoulder. "And second," he continued, "there's a database to help you. You see that scanner over there?" Jem nodded. "It's been programmed to automatically detect most diseases and diagnose them. You just need to treat them, okay?"

Jem was silent for a moment, feeling slightly more relieved. "I still have to know all of this, though," she said. "Just in case."

"That's probably good," he said, reassuring her, "but don't stress out too much. You'll be a great department head."

"Thanks," Jem replied, not really believing him. "So how was your day?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, you know, same-old, same-old. Although, it was so funny, I think you'll like this. Alex, well he was trying to program the new computer downstairs and he was sure there was a bug in the computer, but he couldn't figure out what it was. So he tore apart the computer – which I doubt he'll ever get around to fixing, by the way – and out flew a butterfly!" Torren exclaimed.

Jem laughed, opening her mouth to respond, but stopping when she heard a panicked voice come over the loudspeaker.

_Torren Emmagan, please report to the control room immediately!_

"Oh, I guess that's me," Torren said.

"Yep," Jem replied.

"Well, it sounded important, so I ought to go. I'll see you later?"

"Of course," she replied. "You know where to find me."

"Yeah, bye," he said, jogging out of the room.

Jem sighed, realizing she no longer had an excuse not to work. She turned back to her reading.


	6. Chapter 6: Warning

"Jem? Jem?"

Jem was startled awake by the sound of Torren's voice. She rubbed her eyes and rubbed her sore neck, realizing she'd fallen asleep in the infirmary while doing her reading.

"Oh, hi," she said, forcing a smile to try and hide how tired she felt.

"You fell asleep while working?" Torren asked, chuckling.

"I guess," she replied, still somewhat out of it. "What time is it?"

"Uh," Torren looked at his watch. "Eight-thirty-six in the morning," he replied.

"Oh crap," she said, her eyes widening. "I've wasted so much time! I have to get back to reading!" she exclaimed.

"Before you do that," Torren started, "I have something to tell you."

"Uh, okay?" Jem replied. "It can't wait until later?"

"Well, it could wait until a swarm of people run in with injuries, I suppose," Torren replied in an oddly joking tone.

"What?" Jem exclaimed. "Crap, if there's some kind of plague or something around here, then I really do have to get back to work. I can't have tons of people dying on my first week on the job!"

"It's not a plague," he said. "I just thought we should warn you," he said in a more serious tone, "there are two Wraith ships coming – about two days away. We didn't see them on the sensors until last night, and we don't know why. It seems they may have a new type of cloaking ability. We think a few more might also be on their way, and we just can't see them yet."

"The Wraith? Those ugly half-bug, half-human things that suck the life out of people?" she exclaimed. "I thought they didn't come to Atlantis? I was told they didn't have our location!"

"Well, that's because they didn't have our location before. Let's just say we've moved around a bit to keep them away from us."

"Moved around?"

"The city can fly," Torren explained matter-of-factly.

"The city can fly?!"

"Only if there's enough power in the ZPM."

"Umm...?"

"Don't worry about it," Torren said, "you'll learn all of this in time." He paused for a moment. "Anyway, I just wanted to warn you about the Wraith. Obviously we'll be fighting them with all we've got, but there'll probably be some injuries, and I thought it best you be prepared."

"Thanks," Jem replied. There was silence for a moment. "Wait, doesn't the city have a cloak?" she asked.

"I'm impressed," Torren said, "you do know something about the city!"

"So why don't we use that?"

"Well, now that they know we're here, it'll be easy for them to just take blind shots until they hit something. They'll pinpoint out location quickly, so we determined we ought to use our power for fighting, rather than for cloaking."

"Oh," Jem said, still thinking the cloak would be a better alternative. "Well, uh, thanks for the warning?"

"Anytime," Torren replied. "Well, I have to get back to work, plotting our strategy and all." He seemed way too calm through all of this.

"Okay, I will see you later," Jem called after him.


	7. Chapter 7: First Strike

Jem was doing her best to keep herself calm, while everyone bustled around Atlantis, most of them freaking out and yelling at each other. It seems it had been quite awhile since any member of the expedition had come in contact with a Wraith. Only a handful of people on the base had any experience with them. She'd read every document she could find on them, but was still very worried about their arrival.

It was two in the afternoon when she heard the first shots fire – it seemed Atlantis had taken the first shot. The Wraith wasted no time in returning fire. Jem watched from the window as darts flew out of the hive ship and toward the city. She heard loud crashes felt the ground shake beneath her. She wanted to help people, but she didn't know where the injured would be. Besides, her orders had been to stay in the infirmary, much as she hated it.

She heard shouting from people in the halls and watched puddle jumpers as they took off to fire at the hives. One of them made a suicide mission, crashing into the left side. A few drones were fired, along with a few nuclear weapons. She would have kept watching, but it was at that moment that someone staggered into the infirmary in need of assistance, followed quickly by several others.

There were a few people who just required stitches, and a few more with broken bones. So far no one was in horrible or life-threatening condition, which was a relief, but she could still see one hive was still up there. It looked like there was only the one, though, and the other had been destroyed.

A few more drones were fired from one of the Lantean ships and part of the hive caught on fire. It seemed this didn't slow down the Wraith, though by the spread of the flames, it seemed their death was imminent. It seemed these Wraith were not ones to go down without a fight, though. Suddenly they were firing even harder at the city and a big explosion was heard. Jem ran to the window and saw the hive was still burning in the sky – the explosion was from Atlantis. Seconds later, the hive ship disappeared, leaving only a cloud of thick black smoke in the sky.

Jennifer heard her name over the crackling loudspeaker, but she couldn't figure out where they were telling her to go and it seemed the radio was even worse. She tried to see from the window where the explosion was – since that was likely where she was supposed to go – but she couldn't. She went back to her work, hoping someone else would call her soon. She was just finishing wrapping up the wrist of a patient when Torren ran into the room.

"Jem!" he exclaimed. "You need to come with me!" She was about to protest for the patients she was currently caring for, but he caught her before he could. He grabbed her arm with one hand and her medical bag with another and dragged her out of the room saying "The other doctors will take care of them. We need you!"

She didn't protest any further and instead ran with him down the halls. She had no idea where they were going, since she still wasn't very familiar with the city. The wound through a few hallways, and doors and such – she didn't pay much attention to where they were going or what they were doing; if that they had to be running, it had to be bad. So naturally, she was worrying about whomever may be hurt.

Then it struck her, they were going outside – or rather – suddenly they were outside. They were at the explosion site and very little of it was still standing. Bodies were scattered around her, almost twelve military officers and three members of the science team, all badly burned. She assumed even more of them had dissolved in the blast.

Jennifer stared at the scene in shock for a moment, before Torren took her hand and led her across what was formerly the weapons base of the city.

"He's in really bad shape," Torren said, pointing down at Navid's unconscious body. "Really bad."

"Wh-what was he doing down here?" Jem stuttered, still a little shocked by her surroundings.

"He was trying to repair the weapons when they struck."

She bent down to take his pulse, but she didn't feel anything, she listened for a heartbeat or a breath, but there was nothing. His skin was already cooling.

"He's gone, Torren," she said, softly. "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

"What?" Torren exclaimed, angrily. "He was alive when I left him! Now you're telling me he's just gone? You have to do something. You're a doctor, it's your job to make him okay. Fix him!"

Jem was taken aback for a moment. Torren wasn't acting like himself, but then she realized that was to be expected. Navid was his best friend.

"Look, I'm really sorry, but I can't bring someone back from the dead. Believe me, if I could, I would invoke that power, but I can't. I'm sorry."

Torren just glared and stormed off. Jem sat over Navid for a moment, stroking his cheek, wishing him back to life, but realized it was a futile effort. She stood to take inventory, to see if anyone might have made it through the blast, but it didn't look as though anyone had.

Once all the bodies had been moved to the morgue and she'd finished with treating her patients, Jem went back to her quarters. She hadn't eaten all day, but she wasn't very hungry. The battle with the hive ships had been quick – quicker than she'd expected – but she still couldn't get over the people they'd lost. She may not have known them, but it was her job to heal, and though there was nothing she could have done, she still felt guilty. She curled up on the foot of her bed, staring at the picture of her parents. She wondered if things were like this for them – or if they'd been worse, and she was just too weak to handle this.


	8. Chapter 8: Lost Hope

Jem took a deep breath as she knocked on the door to Torren's quarters. It opened to show him with bloodshot eyes and messed-up greasy hair. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her with an eerie expression.

"Hi," she said, ignoring the look he was giving her.

"Hi," he replied in monotone. "What's up?"

"I haven't seen you for a few days and I was getting worried."

"Oh, I'm fine," he replied. She stepped into his quarters, though she wasn't invited, and probably wasn't wanted.

"Are you sure?" she asked, knowing she was pushing the issue.

"I don't want to talk about it," he grumbled.

She sat down on his bed. "Well, I'll just wait until you do," she replied. Jem looked around the room, thinking maybe this was a bad idea. Still, she was there and she figured she had to see this through or she'd look like a total moron. "So," she began, "Who are they?" she asked, pointing at a picture of two children – one about four and the other just a baby.

Torren sat down beside her, his voice softening. "That's us," he replied.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "It can't be." She got up to examine the picture further. She couldn't tell if the baby was herself, though, since she had very few baby photos.

Torren laughed a little. "It is," he replied. "That was taken a few days after you were born. My mother and I were helping take care of you while your father tried to sort things out."

"I'm so little," she replied, trying to stifle the baby voice that was making its way to the surface.

"That's the general consensus about babies," he replied. "You were adorable, though. I don't remember a lot, but I remember that much."

Jem was silent for a moment before claiming her seat next to Torren again.

"So, you ready to talk?" she asked. She was afraid of making him angry again, but she was worried about him.

Torren sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope," she replied, shaking her head.

"Well, it's lame, but Navid was one of my closest friends – known him for years – and I'm just not used to him not being around, you know? Plus, then there's those other hive ships on their way and we have no weapons that are in any sort of functional state in the city. I mean, we have our shield still, but that'll only hold for so long. We're starting plans for evacuation," he replied.

"Wh-what?" Jem asked. "_More _Wraith?"

"Yeah."

"I haven't heard anything about this!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah," Torren said. "That's sort of my fault."

"Why?"

"I told them I would tell you, so they assumed you already knew."

Jem sighed. "Well if we all evacuate, though, we'll be fine. No one will get hurt. The city will be damaged, sure, but the people will be okay."

"We can't do that."

"Why not?"

"We have to fight them. Otherwise they'll have access to the gate, meaning they'll have access to Earth. They've been trying for years to get there. Ever since they learned of its existence."

"Oh. Well how much time do we have until they get here?"

"Four days," Torren replied. "We updated the sensors before the last attack so we'd have more notice next time."

"Well, do we have any chance of getting the weapons to work?" she asked. "Any of them?"

"Not without the head of our science department. Plus, over half of our science team was wiped out, so we just don't have the capability for it. We've already had our best scientists look into it. Navid was our genius – he could fix anything – without him, there's no hope."


	9. Chapter 9: One Last Chance

Torren and Jem sat in silence for a moment when suddenly, it hit her.

"Hey, Navid was a physicist, right?" Jem asked, knowing she was correct.

"Yeah."

"Well, why don't you just get another physicist to come to Atlantis?"

"Because they need to be familiar with our equipment and with Ancient technology." Torren looked at her as though she was insane.

"No, I mean like someone who used to work here."

"Like who? Everyone who used to work here pretty much did so until they died."

"Like my dad!" she exclaimed, amazed he hadn't figured out what she was getting at.

"Your dad?"

"Yeah, think about it! It's perfect. He used to work here, and he was quite the genius, from what I'm told. He probably used to fix things like this all of the time!"

"Well, Jem, I don't know," Torren said hesitantly. "I mean, no offense, but he's pretty old now. Plus, he vowed he'd never return to Atlantis after your mom died. It's too painful for him."

"I know," she said, her enthusiasm draining. "But isn't it worth a shot? I mean, if he did agree to come here..." she trailed off. "I know it probably won't happen – believe me, I know how stubborn he is – but even if he doesn't, we can at least say we tried."

"I suppose, if you think he might do it."

"I don't know, but I'm willing to try."

***

Jem followed Torren into the control room. He approached Grace, who was sitting in front of a computer, looking incredibly frustrated.

"Grace?" he said. "Can we talk to you for a moment. Jem has a plan that might help us, but we wanted to clear it with you."

Grace looked up, with an expression of mixed relief that someone might have a plan and scepticism that this might just be a waste of her time.

"Shoot," she said, looking at Jem.

"Well, since my dad used to work here," Jem began, "I was thinking maybe we could convince him to come back and help us out. I mean, he is familiar with Ancient technology and from what I've heard, he was always one of the best at solving these sorts of issues. I mean, I can't guarantee that he can help, nor that he will be willing to come, but I thought, you know, maybe it's worth a shot."

Grace pondered this for a moment. "I heard he wasn't willing to come back, so how do you plan on getting him here."

"Well," Jem bit her lip, "I was thinking maybe I could convince him. He might come if he knows how much I need him. I mean, it'll be difficult, but maybe I can get through to him?"

Grace gave her a cautious look. "Well, I see your point. Your father could be a major asset to this team," she said.

"So, Jem can go?" Torren asked. "I mean, to ask her dad."

Grace hesitated. "We're going to need you on the base, Jennifer."

"I see," Jem replied.

"But, I think you're the best shot at getting him to come here. So I'm going to give you two days back on Earth to convince him. If at the end of those two days, he does not agree, you will come back here alone. If he does, bring him with you. I'm going to send someone with you, just in case."

"Just in case?" Jem asked.

"I don't believe you will run away, Jem," Grace said, "but sometimes, when things get this bad, people leave. We need you here – you signed a contract and you need to live up to it. So just in case, I'm going to send someone along with you."

"Alright. I promise I won't abandon Atlantis, but if the only way I can go is to have someone join me, I'll take it."

"I'll clear it with the SGC about your arrival momentarily," she said. "Plan to go sometime early tomorrow, I'll let you know the details soon."

Jem left the room, but Torren stayed behind. She could hear faint arguing, but she didn't really care what about. She thought it best that she not interfere any more than she already had. She just hoped her dad would agree to come back with her, otherwise she'd look like a failure, and probably be facing a sure death. Doctor Rodney McKay was their last hope of getting out of this alive.


	10. Chapter 10: The Favor

"You're not going to bring anything with you?" Torren asked as Jem gate room.

"Well, there's not really a point. I'm going home – I still have most of my stuff there," she replied.

"Fair enough," he replied. He jogged down the stairs to meet her. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ugh, I guess," she answered.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she laughed. "I just hate that gate."

"You'll get used to it," he promised.

"Let's hope you're right." She noticed the backpack he was wearing for the first time. "Are you coming too?" she asked, hopeful that at least she wouldn't be stuck with a total stranger.

"Yeah," he answered. "That okay?"

"Of course. But, I mean, how'd you pull that off? Shouldn't you be here, helping with plans and everything?"

"There's not all that much I can do with no weapons," he laughed.

"Oh, I guess that's true." Jem smiled.

"Dialling the SGC," called a voice from upstairs.

"Okay," Torren called back.

The wormhole opened within seconds and Torren took Jem's hand. "Come on," he said. "It'll okay, I've been through hundreds of times and nothing's ever happened to me."

"Alright," she agreed reluctantly as he pulled her in.

Torren stepped out of the gate with ease and comfort, but Jem wasn't so lucky. She stumbled dizzily into Stargate Command and paid little attention to the people who greeted them. They were led to a car which would take them to their destination – which thankfully was nearby. Jem was sure that much more movement would cause severe motion sickness.

She closed her eyes in the car, while Torren flipped through a book he'd brought with him. Jem didn't bother to try and find out what it was – she was too focused on not throwing up.

She was jerked awake forty-three minutes later when the car came to an abrupt stop outside of her father's house. Sleepily, she dragged herself out of the car and up to the door. It was a Saturday, so she knew her father would be home – where else would he be? He didn't socialize with anyone.

She rang the doorbell three times in a row – her trademark – and waited for a response. A minute went by with no response, so she rang it three times again. She heard banging, which she assumed was her father trudging down the stairs, and moments later the door opened.

His expression went from dull and depressed to shocked and excited in less than a second.

"Jem!" he exclaimed, pulling his daughter into a hug. "You're back!"

"Hey Dad," she choked out, barely able to breathe from his tight grasp.

He let go of his hold and noticed Torren for the first time. "Who's he?" Rodney asked warily.

"Daddy," she said, already trying to butter him up, "you remember Torren?"

"Torren?" he asked, taken off-guard. "You're Teyla's son?"

"What's with you people and calling me by that?" he asked Jem playfully. "Yes," he replied, turning back to Rodney, "I'm Torren Emmagan."

Rodney clearly wasn't sure what his reaction to this should be; whether he was supposed to be protective of his little girl or welcoming to an old friend of the family.

"Well, uh, don't stand out there in the cold," he said. "Come in, sit down! Can I get you anything?"

"Peppermint tea?" Jem asked.

"Oh, I, uh, don't have any of that," Rodney replied.

"Coffee?"

"Nope, none of that, either."

"Milk?"

Rodney scratched the side of his nose and looked at the floor. "Nope," he replied, blushing.

Jem laughed. "Dad, what do you have?"

"Um," Rodney replied. "Water and steaks?"

"Water's good, thanks," Jem chuckled, taking a seat on the couch, motioning for Torren to sit beside her.

Rodney walked back into the room with two glasses in his hand. He held one out to his daughter and kept the other for himself, giving Torren another suspicious look.

"So, uh, what brings you here? Missed your ol' dad too much?" he asked, a hopeful glimmer in his eye.

Jem looked at Torren, who was staring intently at his left thumbnail, so she knew he was going to be no help. _Great_, she thought.

"While I missed you a lot, Dad," she began, "I actually came to ask a favor of you."

Rodney smiled. "Anything for you, Jem," he said.

"I was hoping you'd say that," she said, "because this is pretty big." She began chewing on her bottom lip. She felt so guilty asking him to do this, but it had been almost thirty years since he lost her mother. Maybe it was time he face it; at least that's what she told herself.

Rodney's smile faded, and he had a look of fear, with wide eyes. Maybe he could sense that she was about to ask him something about Atlantis.

"Well, okay, the thing is, um, well, the Wraith," she stuttered, as she usually did when asking someone for something, though she wasn't exactly sure why, "well, they, um, kind of destroyed all of the major weapons in Atlantis. I mean, well, okay, they aren't like gone or anything, just, well, they don't work."

Rodney was no longer looking at his daughter, but rather, straight down at the scuffed hardwood floor.

"And the thing is, well, when they attacked, they, um, well they got the head of the science department and a bunch of the members of the science team, and some military officers too. Well, um, thing is," she paused to clear her throat. "Thing is, we kind of need your help." Silence. "Like, um, with, uh, rebuilding stuff. We need someone who's familiar with Ancient technology and who's really intelligent, so, um, well, we were hoping you'd agree to help us."

Rodney cleared his throat. Before Jennifer died, he would have jumped at the opportunity to prove he was the only one who could save the day, and he certainly wouldn't have done it silently, either. Now, though, that was a completely different story. He lost his ego and all desire to do anything when he lost his wife. He wasn't eager to have to go back.

"Isn't there someone e-else?" he asked, choking on his words.

"Not really, Dad," Jem responded. "You're the only chance we've got."

"Well, I mean, well, I'm just," Rodney began, trying to think of an excuse. "I'm old, honey. It's probably better you just find someone else." He still wouldn't look her in the eye.

"Dad, please," she begged. "We need you. We're all facing certain death otherwise."

"Jem," he said, looking at her and realizing for the first time that he could lose her. "You can't go back there," he stated. "You'll stay here, you'll go back to your job at the hospital and you'll be safe."

"No, Dad," Jem said simply. "I can't do that. Not just because of my contract, but because I made a commitment and because I'm a doctor. It's my job to do whatever I can to help."

"But Jem..."

"No, Dad, no buts. We need your help, but we're still going to fight as best we can." She was finally gaining some courage, to her delight.

Rodney stared at her for a moment and then back at the floor again. He couldn't just leave his daughter to die – especially not against the Wraith. "Fine," he whispered. Jem's mouth dropped.

"Really?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah," he agreed, reluctantly. "I can't lose you too," he murmured to himself, but she couldn't hear him.

"Thank you Dad!" she exclaimed.

"Well if anyone knows Ancient technology, it's me," he said with an arrogant tone, though they both knew it was just a front. "I can't very well leave the whole city to be destroyed now, can I? I always knew they'd be lost without me." He forced a smile to appease Jem. He stood. "Well, if you'll excuse me," he said, "I'm going to retire to my room."

It wasn't until Rodney left that Torren spoke. "Wow, I really didn't think he'd agree to come back. I know how adamant he was about staying on Earth."

"Yeah, well you were no help," she replied, swatting his arm. "What's the point of escorting me back to Earth if you're just going to stare at your weirdly deformed nail?"

"Hey!" Torren protested. "It's not weirdly deformed, I'll have you know. It's just misshapen because of a fight I was in a few years ago. It never healed correctly."

"Yeah, yeah," Jem rolled her eyes. "By the by, misshapen and deformed mean about the same thing."

"Misshapen sounds better, though," Torren retorted. "Deformed implies there's something wrong with it."

Jem rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever makes you feel better."


	11. Chapter 11: Rodney's Homecoming

The next day, Jem, Torren and Rodney were back at Stargate Command. Rodney sniffed, trying not to think of the circumstances under which he was last there. In his mind, he was already refreshing himself on the technology on Atlantis, planning ways to fix things, though he knew he couldn't actually do anything until he got back there – not something he was particularly looking forward to.

"Dialing Atlantis," someone called. There was some chaotic noise, but neither Jem nor Rodney were listening. They were both preparing themselves for the quick journey back. Within moments the wormhole was open and Torren was taking hold of Jem's hand, a fact which was not lost on her father, and pulling her toward the gate.

"Dad," she called, worried for a moment that he'd changed his mind.

"Yeah, uh, coming," he replied, following the two of them. He cleared his throat and gave Torren a dirty look, causing him to drop Jem's hand.

"Dad," Jem rolled her eyes. "He's just trying to help me. I have a hard time going through the gate."

"No problem," he replied. "I'll help you." He smiled, taking his daughter's hand.

Jem shot a look at Torren, who chucked in return. They walked through the gate one by one and arrived on Atlantis shortly after.

Rodney looked around the gate room, forcing a smile to his face. He couldn't show anyone just how bad the knots in his stomach were becoming. "Looks just the same," he choked out. Jem put her hand on her dad's arm.

Grace came down the stairs to greet them. She smiled at Rodney.

"Welcome back to Atlantis, Doctor McKay," she said, extending her hand.

"Yes, um, thank you," he said, shaking her hand. "Well, um, let's see the damage." He wanted to distract himself as quickly as possible.

Grace and Torren led Rodney back to the weapons base, while Jem went back to work in the infirmary. He felt oddly comfortable being back in the city, despite how long he'd been gone. Everything looked just the same and it seemed like just yesterday that he was an Atlantis inhabitant himself. This also meant, however, that the numb feeling he'd often attained on Earth, far away from any trace of his wife, would no longer be suppressing the heartache he still felt so deeply. He blinked back tears as he headed to the site. He was thankful when they got there because it provided him something new to focus on. Anything would be a welcome change.

"Well," Grace said, "this is all we have left.". He surveyed the damage. "Do you think there's anything you can do?" she asked. "Our scientists said that repairs would be impossible, but we're hoping for a miracle here."

He was silent for a moment. "Well," he said at last, "I've seen worse."

Torren and Grace both stared at him in disbelief.

"Worse than this?" Torren asked.

"Yep. Much worse in fact. Jeez, what do you guys do around here nowadays that an attack from two hive ships was allowed to do this much damage?" he asked

Grace and Torren exchanged looks.

"So you think you can do something about this?" Grace asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it won't be easy or anything, actually, it'll be rather difficult, but I should be able to do something for it, at least get most of these operational. Honestly, from how you made it sound I was expecting it to be way worse!" It brought him a little joy to know he was still the best – not that he had really ever doubted that.

"Well, great," Grace smiled. "So, we will leave you to work."

"Great," Rodney said, already engrossed in his plans. Grace and Torren walked away without a word, undoubtedly impressed by the genius of Rodney McKay.

_Okay, just stop and think about it,_ Rodney told himself. _ You're smarter than anyone here and it's not like you have Zelenka slowing you down anymore. Just think about this all of this for a moment and be rational. Jem needs you._

As he stared at the Ancient technology he'd once worked with on a daily basis, ideas began to come to him. He got into his groove working, snapping his fingers as he began to order people around. He was amazed by how efficient these people were, despite the fact that he was sure the level of their intelligence was highly debatable. It wasn't _that_ had once he realized what to do. He flashed back to his old motto, a smile upon his face, "I'm Doctor Rodney McKay," he'd once told someone. "Difficult takes a few seconds, impossible takes a few minutes."


	12. Chapter 12: Problem Solved?

Jem's day was fairly boring. Besides having to catch up on more of the reading she had to do, nothing much had gone on in the infirmary. Most people were too busy getting ready for the Wraith – now less than a day away – to arrive to do anything that would actually cause them harm. However, she had given stitches to one man who'd gotten hurt sparring with Alexei, who was, evidently, quite a fighter.

She decided to leave the infirmary around six-thirty, figuring if there was anyone who needed her assistance, she'd be paged. She was hungry, but she thought she'd go visit her father before heading down to the mess hall. She grabbed her sweater off of the back of the chair and put it back on – for some reason it had been unnaturally hot in there – then headed toward the door. She was stopped on her way out by Torren.

"Hey," he said.

"Um, hi," she replied. She hadn't been expecting him to visit her today.

"What's up?"

"Oh, I was actually just about to leave," she answered. "Do you need help?"

"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Oh, um, I'm fine," she smiled. "I was just about to go visit my dad, see how his work's going and such."

"Okay," Torren replied. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No offense, but I don't really think he's that fond of you," Jem replied, chuckling.

"I suppose you're right," he replied. "I'll see you for dinner?"

"Sure, probably," Jem replied. "I'll be going to the mess hall as soon as I'm done checking up on my dad," she paused. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"I skipped out early," Torren replied. Jem gave him a look telling him to get back to work for the safety of everyone on the base. "I'm kidding. I'm on a dinner break, jeez."

"Good!" Jem replied. Torren rolled his eyes and they both left the infirmary.

Jem was starting to know the layout of Atlantis fairly well now, though she was still relatively new there. She made it to the site only taking one wrong turn, which only led her about five minutes out of her way when she realized the mistake.

"Hey Dad," she said, approaching Rodney. He barely looked up from his work, but mumbled a hello. She'd never seen him this engrossed in anything before – it was kind of astonishing for her. "I take it the work is going well?" she asked.

"Well, it's either going to work perfectly or blow up as soon as I turn it on," he replied, referring to the machine he was currently working on.

Jem cringed. "Be careful! I don't want to be seeing you in the infirmary, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rodney replied, barely paying attention to anything other than whatever machine it was he was fixing. Jem knew nothing about Ancient technology besides what she'd learned about the medical stuff. "Stand back," he said to her. She immediately backed up and he pressed the button. A drone fired into the sky. "Success!" he exclaimed. "No explosions. I knew I was the best."

Jem laughed nervously. "That could've been dangerous," she said, feeling protective of her father.

"Nope," he answered. "I'm Rodney McKay. The chances of it failing were really slim." Clearly his ego had returned since coming back to Atlantis.

"Okay," she replied hesitantly. "Well I'm going to the mess hall if you want to join me."

"No thanks," he replied, rejecting the offer. "I want to finish this as quickly as possible, or the Wraith will have the upper hand."

"Alright, but be careful!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Jem rolled her eyes, hoping he would listen and skipped off to the mess hall to meet Torren. She looked around and finally saw him wave her over. Kat and Emily exchanged a look that said they didn't want her there. This was nothing new, though. She was pretty sure it was because she took Torren's attention away from them. She couldn't deny that he was very attractive.

"Hey," Torren said, motioning for her to sit in the empty seat beside him. "How'd it go with your dad?"

"He won't listen to my advice to be safe, but he seems to be making some progress, at least," she sighed. "He could really hurt himself. I didn't realize that until I saw what he was doing today. I'm worried about him."

"Don't be, Jem," Torren said, reassuringly. "He knows how to take care of himself. He worked here for years and made it through with barely a scratch in the end."

"Except when he was shot in the butt," Emily giggled. Torren shot her a glare.

"Um, what?" Jem asked, confused.

"Just ignore them," Torren grumbled. "They're just being stupid."

Jem nodded and both girls shot her angry looks. It made her feel a bit like she was on some teen drama show or something. She shook her head and turned her attention back to Torren.

"So do you think we'll be ready for them?" she asked, worried.

"I think we'll be as ready as we can. Like I said awhile ago, we have only encountered the Wraith a few times. Your father has much more experience with them than we do. Honestly, though, I don't want to jinx it, but I think we might have a good shot. At least now that Doctor McKay is fixing our weapons."

Jem smiled, proud of her dad and all he'd accomplished. She'd never realized before the last few weeks just how smart he was and just how much he'd contributed to the world of science. Although, she'd also never known that her mother's medical files and research would take be so extensive that it would take weeks to go through. It was weird that suddenly everything she thought she knew about her parents had changed.

After her dinner, Jem went back to check on her father. This time, distracted as he was, Rodney actually looked up from his work to acknowledge her presence – even if it was only for a brief moment.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, good," he replied, bending down to look at something. He grunted as he stood back up and pressed a few buttons to make sure the machine worked. Whatever it was, it must have done its job because a smile crossed his face and he said, "All done."

"Really? You fixed everything in one day?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he answered nonchalantly.

"Wow, uh," Jem was in awe. "Wow."

Rodney crossed his arms and smiled, proud of his work. "Yep, all done." He paused for a moment to admire his work. "Well, I'm going off to bed," he told Jem. "Care to walk with me?"

"Sure," she replied.

As they strolled through the halls, Jem made sure to keep her father distracted, but as soon as she left him alone in his quarters, she was pretty sure he would cry. She was right.


	13. Chapter 13: The Last Strike

It was only five-thirty in the morning, but everyone was awake and in position. The Wraith would soon be in shooting distance. According to Rodney, the weapons should be all ready for the upcoming battle, but there was still some tension among the members of the Atlantis crew. Some people had evacuated to a new location, but the military, the medical team, Grace and a few members of the science department stayed behind to fight. Jem wasn't completely sure what exactly the plan was, besides shooting as many drones at the hive ships as possible, but whatever it was, she just hoped it worked.

It was a sudden rush as everyone began to shoot at the hives. It seemed way too fast to make complete sense of and Jem was impressed by the efficiency of everyone on the base. She, however, didn't know what she was supposed to do. No one seemed to be getting hurt – which was a major relief – so she just did her best to stay out of everyone's way.

Jem was extraordinarily glad that most of the people had been evacuated, especially when she heard explosions in other parts of the city. A few of them, she could tell, we very close to the room in which they all worked. She was knocked off balance a few times by the impacts of the shots.

Grace and Torren were shouting orders at the others as they ran around trying to accomplish their goal. Jem was in awe of it all. It was so surreal that her mind felt like it was floating seven feet above her body.

Before she knew it, Torren was handing her a gun, telling her the Wraith had landed in Atlantis. She blinked and shook her head. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the gun.

"I'm a healer, not a fighter," she told Torren, panic in her voice.

"They're Wraith, they're not human. They're like giant bugs," Torren said impatiently. "Look, just aim as best you can and pull the trigger. Don't shoot if someone else is with you to help you, okay? This is just for your own safety. We'll take care of the rest."

"Um, okay," Jem said, completely unsure of what she was doing.

"Just stay here with your dad," Torren instructed before turning and leaving the room.

Rodney and a few other members of the team were still with her, but she was even more on edge now. She knew little of the Wraith. She'd never seen one up close, just heard, and seen, the damages they were able to do. She did her best not to hyperventilate. It wasn't just herself she was worried about, though. As a doctor, she was worried for everyone on the base, but more than that, she was worried for her father, and for Torren.

She snapped out of her trance when she heard screaming all around her. She hadn't realized until just then that tears had formed in her eyes. She whipped around to see terrifying beings towering over her. One was headed right toward her and she tensed up, forgetting all about the gun she held. He came closer to her, reaching his bony hand toward her as he did. His skin was a disgusting color, she noticed. It was like a pasty green and white mix. His hair was stringy and white. She'd never imagined a creature like this before.

Before she knew it, her father was pushing her out of the way, and she fell to the floor. She saw him standing between her and the Wraith which stood before them. He was going to sacrifice himself. Jem looked down nervously, and finally noticed the gun in her hand. She'd never touched one before, let alone fired. She drew upon everything she'd seen in the movies and lifted it up. He was already sucking the life force from her father as she did so. Without thinking any further, she fired as rapidly as she could, hoping her aim was good enough.

His hold on Rodney broke and he let out an angry noise. He was clearly wounded, but he seemed to be coming back from the bullets rather quickly. She closed her eyes and kept firing, hoping the ammo would not run out. Finally she heard a crash and opened her eyes. The Wraith had fallen to the ground, knocking over a few things on his way.

Jem ran over to him, hoping this wasn't a trick, to check that he was dead. She wasn't sure exactly how, but she decided it was safe to conclude that he was no longer among the living.

It was then that she allowed herself to look at the scene which surrounded her. She counted thirteen dead Wraith bodies and ten human bodies. She didn't have to be a doctor to know they were dead – their bodies were so shrivelled that it was difficult to even determine their species, let alone who they had once been. Another seven humans were wounded, and before she knew it, she was headed toward one and searching for her medical bag. She spotted it near a console across the room and ran toward it.

She grabbed the bag and whipped around, heading to the person closest to her. She had no real plan, except to get to as many people as she could as quickly as possible. As she began her work, she radioed her team, but they were all busy on other parts of the base.

There only appeared to be one person with major injuries. Most people just had scrapes and bruises or minor sprains, though there were two people with badly broken bones. Jem was able to make rounds rather quickly.

It was only when she was finished that she heard a groan from across the room. She hopped to her feet and spotted her father laying almost completely motionless on the ground. Jem ran towards him as fast as she could, guilty that she hadn't noticed his injuries before and silently wishing that she'd never asked him to come to Atlantis.

"Dad!" she exclaimed as she fell to her knees beside him, inspecting his wounds. It appeared the Wraith that had cornered them had started to feed on Rodney before she'd shot him down. She wasn't entirely sure how to help him. Rodney explained that there wasn't really anything she could do, telling her the story of Aiden Ford and what had ended up happening to him. So, as she pondered possible solutions, she stitched up his more minor wounds and bandaged his bruises, all the while blinking back tears.

It seemed like an eternity, but finally the announcement came: the Wraith threat had been eliminated. All Wraith both in the air and in Atlantis had been eliminated. There were extraordinary damages to parts of the city, but thankfully it seemed nothing of absolute importance had been affected. Jem also braced herself for the swarm of patients she was sure to have once she returned to the infirmary, but for now, all she could really think of was her father and how to make him better again.


	14. Chapter 14: Fatal Love

Jem sat beside her father's bed for what seemed like forever. She had the rest of her team tending to the other patients, only caring for the ones who were in critical condition. She'd already lost over thirty people on the base and she couldn't bear to lose another – especially not her father. She felt guilty for the lives lost, though she knew there was nothing she could have done for them anyway. She held Rodney's hand in hers and attempted to blink back her tears.

She'd always felt like she was missing something, growing up without her mother, but she'd always had her father, no matter how unhappy he may have been most of the time. She loved him so much, and even more now, if that were possible, that she had discovered the Rodney McKay that had once trolled the hallways of the lost city as one of its first explorers and defenders. Although she hadn't been with him at the time, she liked to picture him as the hero; saving the day in the blink of an eye with his incredible intelligence. It didn't seem so far to stretch, as that's what he'd done for them only a day before. She loved him even more because she knew he'd done it all for her.

Jem jumped when she felt a warm hand stroke her arm and looked over to find that Torren was sitting right beside her. She forced a smile as she acknowledged his presence for the first time.

"How long have you been there?" she asked.

He grinned. "You didn't notice me?"

Jem bit her lip. "Um, well, sorry, no. I mean, I would have, you know, if I wasn't, well, uh, so, um, distracted," she stuttered, feeling bad that he may have been there for hours without her knowing.

"Relax," he chuckled, "I just got here."

"Oh," she smiled in relief. "Good. I was worried I'd been ignoring you for a long time or something."

He looked at her father and then back at her. "How's he doing?"

"Not that well," she replied hesitantly. "I have no idea how to help him, or if I even can. If I can't figure out what to do, he won't make it much longer. That Wraith took too many years off of his life." She glanced back at Rodney. "I mean, I hate to say it, but he wasn't that young to begin with, you know? He couldn't really afford to lose that much of his life."

Torren nodded. "Sorry Jem," he said.

Jem shook her head, blinking back more tears, willing herself not to cry in front of Torren. "Thanks," she muttered, unsure what the correct response was in a case such as this.

The sat in silence for a moment before Torren suddenly pulled something out of his pocket. Jem turned to see what it was that he was reaching for.

"So we were going through Navid's stuff last week," he began, "and I found this." He held up an old pocket-sized brown book that looked pretty worn.

"What is it?" she asked. He handed it to her and she looked inside. In messy handwriting it read _Property of Doctor Rodney McKay_. "It's my dad's journal?" she said sceptically.

"Yep, that's what it looks like."

"And Navid had it?"

"What can I say? He was a big fan of your father's work," Torren shrugged.

"A big fan or a big stalker?" Jem asked.

"Probably a little of both," he winked. "Anyway, I thought you might like it."

"Thanks," she said, forcing a smile for him. She put it down on the table next to her father's bed.

"Jem?" Torren said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No," she sighed. "Unless you have the power to give someone everlasting life?" she asked in a way that made it difficult to determine if she were joking or serious. Torren assumed it was probably a little of both.

"Sorry," he replied. "No magic here."

Jem nodded and returned to her state of near-tears, clutching Rodney's hand.

"I'm going to go," he whispered. "If you need me, just radio me and I'll be right here."

"Mhm," Jem responded, barely noticing him anymore.

It was only a few more hours before he was called back, but it wasn't Jem who called, it was Grace's voice he heard over the radio, morosely telling him, "Rodney died a few minutes ago."

When he got to the infirmary, he found Jem still holding onto her father's hand as tightly as she could, her head buried in his stomach, sobbing. Torren immediately ran toward her as quickly as he could.

"Jem?" he started. He stroked her arm and wiped a few of the hysterical tears from her eyes. "Jem? I'm here, okay?" he said, hoping that would bring her a little comfort.

Jem looked up at him, her whole face was red and wet from crying. "Torren," she sniffed, "he's dead," she choked out.

Torren nodded. "I know. I'm so sorry," he whispered so quietly it was barely audible.

"It's not fair!"

"I know, it isn't," he agreed.

"He saved our lives! Shouldn't he deserve to live? It's not fair!" she exclaimed. She burrowed her head into her father's body again.

Eventually Torren was able to convince Jem to let them take the body away. He held her as they wheeled him away. She was shaking harder than he knew a human could. She was no longer crying hysterically, but he figured that was probably from dehydration. She folded neatly into his arms and he held her tightly, continuing his attempt to comfort her.

Suddenly, Jem pushed away from him, wiping the tears from her face, sniffing. She hated getting emotional in front of people. She stood motionless for a moment, then turned and walked quickly through the halls to get back to her quarters.

Only a few minutes had passed when she heard a knock on her door. She remained curled in a ball on her bed, hoping if she ignored whomever was there that they would just go away. She was disappointed to discover that this was not the case when the door slid open anyway and she heard footsteps coming toward her.

She didn't look up. She didn't have to; she knew it was Torren. He sat down beside her and leaned back on the bed.

"What?" she asked unintentionally harshly.

"I didn't want you to be alone," he began. "Plus, you also forgot this." He held up the journal.

Jem didn't respond. She could see that he was uncomfortable. It was obvious that he wanted to help her, but he felt as helpless as she did. Without a word, she curled up closer to him, laying her head in his lap. He put his arm around her shoulders and let her fall asleep.

"I love you," he whispered under his breath when he was confident she was no longer awake.

She smiled, pretending not to have heard him.


	15. Chapter 15: Eternity

When Rodney awoke, he felt different. Not in a bad way, really; just different than usual. He no longer felt the aching muscles or fading eyesight of an old man. He no longer felt any sort of pain. Actually, he didn't feel much of anything.

"I've been waiting for you," said a voice from behind him.

He turned to where the voice had come from. "Jennifer," he said, astonished.

"What took you so long?" she joked. "Seems like a lifetime."

"I've missed you," he said. Even in his ghostly state, tears welled up in his eyes. He paused for a moment and just took everything in. He couldn't believe he was seeing her again after all this time.

She smiled at him and stroked his cheek. "You look younger," she remarked.

He grinned back at her. "You look exactly as I remember you," he replied. "Beautiful." He leaned in and kissed his wife. "I wish you could have been there," he told her.

"Me too," she whispered, looking at the floor.

"Especially those last few days," he remarked, suddenly speaking faster and with more enthusiasm – just the way he used to. "I mean, I was pretty brilliant. I wish you'd seen it. I saved Atlantis –"

"There's the Rodney I know," Jennifer interrupted, rolling her eyes. "I did see it," she told him. "All of it. I've been there through everything – you just couldn't see me."

"Oh," he replied, looking disappointed that he was unable to regale her with tales of his heroism.

"You can tell me all about it later, but what do you say we get out of here?"

For once, he didn't say anything. He just took her by the hand and they strolled out of the infirmary and into the walls of Atlantis, where they could spend eternity together.


End file.
